LOS ANGELES: Traditional pay-TV operators are bleeding subscribers -- and that's not likely going to improve, as major U.S. cable and satellite providers are ringing in 2018 with price increases.Comcast, AT&T's DirecTV, Dish Network, and Charter Communications are among the operators that have notified customers about rate hikes set to go into effect in January for most TV packages. As usual, the providers have cited higher programming costs for jacking up their fees.Comcast is hiking monthly rates for most bundles about $5. The company has detailed 2018 pricing in an update on its website; customers with promotional pricing won't see their rates change until those offers expire. Overall, the U.S. pay-TV universe actually gained net 90,000 customers in Q3 when factoring in growth of "over-the-top" internet TV services like Dish's Sling TV and DirecTV Now. However, those packages strip out many networks and are priced less than traditional pay-TV bundles.- Reuters

Source: The Star December 23, 2017 13:07 UTC